Staphylococcus aureus binding to Seraph® 100 Microbind® Affinity Filter: Effects of surface protein expression and...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Infectious Diseases
• Microbiology

Background:

• Extracorporeal blood purification offers a potential treatment for bloodstream infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.
• Staphylococcus aureus is a significant pathogen in hospital-acquired infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the binding activity of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) to Seraph affinity filters.
• To identify factors influencing the binding of S. aureus to these heparin-coated bead filters.

Main Methods:

• S. aureus Newman strains expressing GFP were used to test binding in 0.9% NaCl and human blood plasma.
• Bacterial reduction was quantified using Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) analysis.
• The Seraph® 100 Microbind® Affinity Filter was tested with 1000 ml of human blood plasma over time.

Main Results:

• Binding of S. aureus was significantly reduced in human plasma compared to saline (10% vs. 42% removal).
• Genetic variations in S. aureus surface proteins did not significantly affect filter binding.
• Treatment duration critically impacted bacterial reduction, with significant results after two hours and near 90% reduction after four hours.

Conclusions:

• Seraph affinity filters demonstrate high efficiency in reducing S. aureus in human blood plasma.
• Filter performance is influenced by blood plasma variability and treatment duration.
• The capacity of the Seraph® 100 filter for S. aureus in plasma is approximately 5 x 10^8 cells.